


First Lines and Second Sons

by frecklebomb



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Diplomacy, M/M, Multi, Notfic, Pining, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 15:52:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12039195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frecklebomb/pseuds/frecklebomb
Summary: While on a diplomatic mission to the neighbouring kingdom, Prince Patrice stumbles across one of their scouts heading for his own capital city. It transpires that their missions have the same objective: peace.(Because whynota warring royalty AU? Enthusiastic not!fic about pining,  political marriages, elaborate clothing and polyamorous resolutions for 'love triangles'.)





	First Lines and Second Sons

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I chatficced with [Vidriana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vidriana) across three different chat platforms and about five days, to deal with her feelings about [That Line](https://68.media.tumblr.com/21ccd86544ed50f9b3dcfe40dda10dd0/tumblr_ow0gujvhwx1umgx2jo1_540.png) at the World Cup of Hockey, and my feelings about liney poly in general. Her [tags on this post](http://vidrianah.tumblr.com/post/155726857956/daisiesmakingchains-aesthetic-patrice) are directly to blame. It came out... SLIGHTLY longer and more ambitious than I expected? 
> 
> It would have sat in a mess of allcaps on my gdocs forever, because I don't have the writing chops/attention span to turn it into the 40k+ beast I feel like it deserves to be, but then [idella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idella) read it and said it was beautiful just the way it was, so I tidied it up some more.

Patrice Bergeron is a Prince, the second son of the King, noble and good and all that, and Marchy is a knight from the neighbouring kingdom. They hold an uneasy truce after decades of periodic war over disputed border territories. Bergy wants to re-open negotiations on them, but his father won't let him while he's still king. He sets off in secret, travelling in disguise as a citizen (no official portraits of him having been made yet), to try to meet with diplomats he's in contact with over the border… Almost nobody in his own kingdom knows about it.

Marchy is good friends with his King's second son, Sid, who he’s carried a flame for since childhood. He is also on a secret mission, trying to reach somebody in the royal family other than the King. He knows the King is old and anti-peace, but he thinks public opinion goes the other way. Part scout, part negotiator, he's not pursuing the exact same tasks as Bergy, but they have the same end objective. 

 

~~~~~~

 

Riding away from the city, Bergy sees Marchy being harassed by robbers on the road (Marchy is probably not really in very much difficulty, but also shouldn’t give himself away as the elite knight of the castle that he is) and intervenes. They send the robbers off, but Marchy's belongings are scattered everywhere, so Bergy helps him pick his things up from the roadside. When they've wandered a small distance away from each other, Marchy sees somebody watching from afar, and realises that Bergy is being followed, obviously not just the simple traveller that he'd introduced himself as. When they get back together, he thanks Bergy and offers to make camp together for the night and maybe eat together, as it's nearly dark. As they're setting up, he very quietly tells him that he's being followed, and although Bergy tries not to let it show on his face, he feels his stomach suddenly grow cold. Marchy asks him if he maybe wants to revise his story a little bit?

That night they tell each other their real identities, and start talking about the border disputes and quickly get onto why they're both away from their capital cities. Bergy confides that he's probably being followed by his father's people, who didn't want him to leave the kingdom. Marchy decides to gamble on this second son, who is probably more likely to be pro-peace, and tells him about his mission. 

Bergy trusts him just enough at this point to tell him what the main problem is, "My father just doesn't trust your kingdom, your King, to uphold any bargain or treaty we could come to. There's nothing I could think of, no scenario that would have him agreeable to opening negotiations. He has no faith in your King's word to control his own military."

Marchy is already going into diplomat mode: "Is there nothing we do, nothing that we could exchange with your kingdom to convince him that we are dedicated to finding peace for our border with you?"

"If you have ideas then, please, I'm a willing audience for them."

They figure out they're on parallel missions, and realise they can stop the threat of war (WITH LOVE) by making a marriage alliance between the two kingdoms. Marchy would do it, but he's not actually important enough to marry a Prince (he's titled, important enough to grow up with his Prince and be trusted with Crown business, but certainly not important enough for a political marriage). On the road back towards his kingdom again, Marchy realises it’s going to have to be Sid, who he's loved forever, marrying Bergy, who he's fallen hard for as they’ve travelled - the two second sons, as the heirs would never be allowed to leave either kingdom. 

They already have the plan for the marriage, but it takes weeks to get back, and on the way there they get closer, plotting and fighting off bandits together, talking over campfires, about childhoods and adventures (including Marchy telling him about the Prince he once promised to go on quests for, to prove himself worthy of marrying him), and they fall in love.

 

~~~~~~

 

They're met at the city border by a royal guard escort, who all greet Marchy by name and title. Bergy feels his heart sink. This is the start of reality, he's going to be marrying a stranger, and Marchy isn't going to be sleeping beside him in a tent any longer, he's going to be out of reach. He's not going to be Marchy any more, but Baronet Marchand. They ride into the city, as Marchy catches up on what's been happening since he left (maybe months ago, although he's back earlier than he thought he'd be). At the castle, they're received directly into the cabinet room, where the King is surrounded by a full room of aides & diplomats, including the man Bergy intended to see in the first place. Marchy immediately embraces the King and Princes, and then announces Bergy, who details the plan. 

Bergy is so honest and honorable, he's gonna tell his future husband that he's in love with someone else, but will still marry him because it's his duty. Then, once they've got a peace negotiation and a wedding date set, Sid plays matchmaker, getting Marchy alone to grill him about the cow-eyes he's always making at Bergy. Then he pulls them both into his chambers and basically tells them he's not letting them out of the room until they actually tell each other how they feel, and locks the door behind him. So Bergy and Marchy confess their love to each other, but Bergy doesn't just confess that he loves him, he also apologizes for marrying Sid, who Marchy has loved for so much longer. 

But Bergy and Sid are still getting married, for the sake of peace. None of them would dream of changing that. Sid, also being very honourable, and not wanting to stand in the way of either peace or love, lets Bergy know he's perfectly happy for them to figure out an arrangement once they’re married. But Bergy knows how Marchy feels about his Prince, he sees how they look at each other, and is scheming. 

He and Sid are tasting the food and wines during the wedding planning, and Bergy keeps proposing silly toasts, enjoying how Sid is getting more relaxed and giggly. He was planning on asking him a few questions once they’re both tipsy and relaxed, but Sid just starts coming out with stories about Marchy, unprompted. He talks about how he totally understands that Bergy is in love with Marchy because Marchy is so amazing, and tells him exactly how amazing, tells Bergy cute stories about how kind and smart he is. But also stuff like how when they were children Marchy once promised to go on a big quest so that he'd get to ask for the Prince’s hand as a reward… Bergy remembers this one from the road, and knows if Sid is telling him the same stories as Marchy, this is going to work. He’s also kinda scoping out Sid's bum a little, _just a little_ , because hey, fiancee (w/ horse rider’s thighs). And poor drunk Sid's all like “you have really pretty eyes, I can see why Marchy loves you.” 

And then Bergy tells an abridged version of this to Marchy in bed later that week, and watches his eyes get really wide and his cheeks go red… and almost doesn't need to tell him what he's been thinking. 

 

~~~~~~

 

So Bergy just kind of invites Marchy to the wedding night? They're all still in their full formal clothing when a knock comes at the bedchamber door, and Bergy goes to open it before Sid can even say anything

Sid is just... FULL confusion. Like, "Is everything ok? I already know you'd rather be with him, but we kinda have to do this for our marriage to be legit?"

Then Bergy sits down, and motions for the others to, even though it feels a little awkward, and then looks at Marchy and takes his hand until Marchy starts talking to Sid. He tells Sid that he's looked up to him since they were children, and he's been in love with him since they were barely teenagers… He makes it really nostalgic as well, talking about their shared past and about them growing up together: “Remember how I said I'd go out and slay a dragon and then maybe they'd let me marry you?” (Marchy was always wanting to go out and do dumb stuff to prove himself to the King so he could maybe marry Sid.)

And it's getting off point, so Bergy jumps in, "Sid, do you remember saying you'd be happy with an arrangement within our marriage? I think you probably meant regarding me and Marchy?" 

And Sid says of course, and smiles a little tightly, and Marchy continues, "What if I wanted that arrangement to include you, Sid?"

Bergy watches Sid take it in, nods when his slightly frantic eyes turn to him. And Sid says, “We… both have an arrangement with Marchy?” 

“Well, or, I mean, it could be all three of us. If you'd like.”

And that's when Bergy moves from the chair he’s sitting to the sofa where Sid is, and pulls him close, Marchy looking on with the biggest eyes. Bergy asks, "That is, if you'd be interested?" And Sid sort of whimpers and closes his eyes, and presses his lips blindly towards Bergy's. 

Marchy's frozen to the spot, watching his lifelong crush making out with his actual boyfriend. Bergy tries to slow things down, or at least make it a little more coherent. And Sid's kind of a mess, just from a bit of kissing, because this is kind of everything he's ever wanted. Nothing is going to stop him now, so Sid pulls Bergy over to the bed where Marchy is, and Bergy pushes them together (kind of facilitating them making out, in the same way that he facilitated getting them together). 

They're focusing on Sid a bit, because they've already been with each other but Sid is all new. And Marchy is just in heaven, he gets to have Sid! In his life! And also in his bed! And Bergy is here! And Bergy is getting The View, frankly. Outwardly he's the calmest, the nicest, least pushy, but he's still directing everything, totally cool and collected to make up for the utter lack of chill the others have. So while they're too distracted to do anything but make out enthusiastically and grope at each other, Bergy is undoing all the buttons, laces, clasps and buckles, because wedding clothes. They'd settle for half out of their clothes, really, but Bergy is the one who actually gets their shoes off, because he wants to do this properly. 

Sid making out with Marchy, Bergy going down on him, Sid's hands trying to get into Marchy's clothes... and once Sid got distracted enough to be useless, Bergy would grab Marchy and pull _him_ down there instead. Marchy going onto his knees to suck Sid's cock, and having all the laces down his back untied as he does it.

And then Sid, all warm and tired out, watching the other two gently take each other apart, wrapped up in the blankets and remembering everything for next time. And they're nice to watch for him as well, because they're already so familiar with each other, all that trust and subtle physical communication. He leans in to get a kiss from Marchy just after he comes, once they're all a big pile of limbs and pillows in the enormous bed.

 

~~~~~~

 

And then, stressed-out Princes trying to figure out the realities of working with Bergy’s father in the next kingdom, who doesn't really like this situation but has to deal with it, and Marchy as some kind of personal aide/high level diplomat, because he clearly has a good political mind. 

Maybe they received a letter from Bergy’s father, who's being difficult about re-negotiating the borders, and Bergy has to be pulled out of a meeting (because of course they're all in three separate meetings) to consult on the King's wording in his response. Then they all meet for dinner in their rooms where there's a rule about not talking about Crown business, so they have to just relax and eat, and be with each other. 

 

~~~~~~

 

End

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you AGAIN to Vidriana and idella, without you both this would never have made it to the archive. 
> 
> If you have questions, or additions, put them in the comments!
> 
> (I'm around on both my [main blog](http://frecklebombfic.tumblr.com) or my [hockey blog](https://squashyicebabies.tumblr.com).)


End file.
